Chris Rasmussen

Education

Ph.D., University of Maryland 1997 Mathematics Education
M.A., University of Maryland 1994 Mathematics
B.Sc., University of Maryland 1985 Mechanical Engineering

Research Interests

My research focuses on the teaching and learning of undergraduate
mathematics, with an emphasis on courses that typically function as a
transition to advanced mathematics. My work explores how pedagogical
approaches and instructional design principles that have been successful
at promoting student learning in earlier grade levels can be adapted to
the university setting. Central to this work is careful attention to
student thinking and a systematic, theory-driven study of the social
interactions in which meanings are established, where norms for
convincing arguments and presentations are negotiated, and where
students can connect more formal mathematical developments to their
personal experience.

Selinski, N., Rasmussen, C., Wawro, M., & Zandieh, M. (2014). A method for using adjacency matrices to analyze the connections students make within and between concepts: The case of linear algebra. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education45(5), 550-583.

Rasmussen, C., Marrongelle, K., & Borba, M. (2014). Research on calculus: What do we know and where do we need to go? ZDM – The International Journal on Mathematics Education, 46(4), 507-515. DOI: 10.1007/s11858-014-0615-x

Rasmussen, C., & Ellis, J. (2015). Calculus coordination at PhD-granting universities: More than just using the same syllabus, textbook, and final exam. In D. Bressoud, V. Mesa, & C. Rasmussen (Eds.). Making the connection: Research and teaching in undergraduate mathematics education (pp. 107-115). Washington, DC: The Mathematical Association of America.

Rasmussen, C., Zandieh, M., & Wawro, M. (2009). How do you know
which way the arrows go? The emergence and brokering of a classroom
mathematics practice. In W.-M. Roth (Ed.), Mathematical representations at the interface of the body and culture (pp. 171-218). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.